Kismet
by xSuchSweetNothingx
Summary: "Kim has always known that Jared is the one for her. She's just waiting for him to catch onto it. She can be patient, though." Kim isn't a loser. A more realistic imprinting story, including jealousy, crude humor, drama, and everything else that exists in teenage society. Rated M for a reason.
1. Summertime Sadness

**Kismet**

_Chapter One :: __**Summertime Sadness**_

* * *

**A/N: **_Forget just about everything you read of the story Twilight at this point._

_Most things that are said to happen in the books will at some point happen, but only when it fits my story best. And they might appear slightly different than they did in the book, but that's just how it's going to have to go for this to work._

_And Kim isn't some quiet, shy, only-attractive-in-Jared's-eyes, nice – to make it short, Kim isn't __boring__ and __plain__ like Bella believes her to be at first sight. Bella doesn't actually know the first thing about the girl, and I don't know who Stephenie Meyer intended her to be, but this is who I believe she is._

_Pipa, Maia, Ray, Kane and Tag are my characters, as well as Nina and Nahuel. There will be many characters mentioned in this story that do not make appearances in the Twilight Saga. I'll mention them in the beginning of each chapter just so that you know they're purposefully original characters._

_This is probably not a story for loyal Cullen followers._

* * *

"You know," Pipa says around her ice cream cone. "I don't really understand this obsession that you have for the boy."

I smile slightly to myself, shaking my head at her. "I'm not _obsessed_ with him, Pipa. I don't have a voodoo doll of him, or stalk him, or do any other things that an _obsessed _person would do. I just like him is all."

"You told me that you plan on _marrying_ him some day," Ray says, skeptic.

"I do," I assure her, smirking, making all three girls giggle.

"Don't take this the wrong way . . ." Maia says, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "But, really, why _do _you like him so much? He's not your typical heartthrob . . ." She trails off with a pointed look in his direction, where he sits in a group of chattering people in the ice cream shop.

She's not wrong.

Typically, girls my age – sixteen year old girls – go for tall, muscular, typically a bit older, manly man. This especially applies to Pipa, so I can understand why she wouldn't be able to grasp my adoration for Jared Cameron: a skinny, scrawny, barely-taller-than-me sixteen year old boy. "You don't really know him very well, so you probably don't know that he has a soft side." I stop talking to lick at the rainbow sprinkles and melted ice cream dripping down the cone.

"And how do you know that?" Pipa ask, her eyebrow raised. "I know that you guys are friends and what not, but you're not _that_ close. You've never, like, hung out one on one or anything . . . Or have you?" She asks me accusingly, as if I would hold back such a major step in my relationship – or the unfortunate lack thereof – with Jared from her.

"No – but I've heard . . . And I've seen him with his siblings before. He's very sweet with them. He doesn't even mind playing with them at the beach or taking them places." I remember watching him swing his four year old little sister over the waves in the ocean – how cute they both looked together – and how his four other younger siblings crowded around him, squealing in excitement. "And watching _five kids_ . . . I mean, I can barely handle the rugrats on my own, and I only have to watch them three days a week. He used to have to watch them _everyday . . ." _I trail off.

I mean, honestly – who doesn't love a man that likes kids?

"So you just like him because he's good with kids?" Ray assumes. "What? You're already naming your guys' future children?" She snikers, and the girls laugh while I roll my eyes.

I throw a napkin at her. "No! I told you that I'm not obsessed – that would definitely fall into the _obsessed_ category. I just think it's nice – and different. I mean, how many guys do you know that would willingly and without complaint take care of _five _little kids? And actually _enjoy _himself?"

None. They know I'm right.

"Okay," Maia says, "then why else do you like him."

"Well . . . he's funny," I say, trying to come up with a mental checklist of all the things that I like about him. I have to admit that it's surprisingly hard to explain why I like him. I just kind of . . . Do. "And he's fun to hang around. He's athletic, and energetic – no one around him is ever bored." I smile as I say that, and then I shrug. "I don't know. I just like him. A lot."

Pipa scoffs. "You don't say?" She asks me, her tone positively _dripping _with sarcasm.

"Is _that_ why you refuse to give any other guy a chance at you?" Ray asks, equally as sarcastic.

"_I _think it's cute," Maia jumps in on my defense. "And why does she have to date around anyway? What's the big deal? It's not as if either of _you _have a boyfriend."

"Oh, burn!" I smirk at my attackers, bumping fists with Maia.

Pipa's jaw drops, clearly offended. "Things with Kane and I are progressing rather nicely, if I may say so myself," she informs me, very much defensive.

I laugh. "That's what you said _six months ago_." I'm pretty sure her jaw hits her knee. She's left speechless. "Why aren't _you _hooking up with anyone else while you wait for him? Huh?" She doesn't answer me. "Exactly. Because you don't _want_ to." I make my point.

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Maia finishes, a smirk set on her lips.

Ray and Pipa say, "Whatever," at the same time, and we all go back to eating our cones, my eyes shifting back to Jared.

Someday.

Someday.

* * *

The annoying doorbell that my father insisted on installing chimes, and I lift my eyes up from my phone to greet the incoming customer. _Or customer__**s**__, _I correct myself when two voices fill the silence of the otherwise empty _poor-excuse-of-a-grocery_ store. "Hello," I say in the most pleasant tone I can muster up, "is there anything I can help you w - "

My voice cuts off when they step into my line of sight, my eyes instantly being drawn to the man farthest from me. He has to be at least six foot one and his entire body is _layered_ in brawn. His pitch-black hair reaches his broad shoulders, and his mouth is set in a familiar playful smirk.

Is that "_Jared?_" I say his name in disbelief, completely ignoring the boy standing next to him. I just saw him _a week and a half ago _in the ice cream shop, and he looked _nothing _like _this_.

Mocha eyes flicker over to me and he gives me a friendly smile. "Hey, Kim," he says, his voice deeper than ever. "I didn't know that you work here."

"I don't," I say, before realizing that I _am_ working today. "Well, not usually." Maybe I ought to start working here more often, though. I mean, if he's a regular here . . . It would totally be worth it. "Do you come here often?" I inquire, my smile growing wider when I realize that he's coming right up to the counter that I'm sitting at.

"Nah," he shakes his head. He leans against the counter, resting on his forearms so that his face is level with mine for a minute. "Kim," he murmurs quietly, and my eyes dart over to his friend who is standing a few feet behind him. "I was actually trying to get some booze for a bonfire a couple of my friends and I are having tonight."

Ah. So he's going to ask me for something. I raise my eyebrow, leaning back in my seat and putting my phone down so that I can cross my arms over my chest. "Is that so?"

He nods.

"And you feel that I can help you with that?" I ask.

Gesturing to the cooler in the back of the store, he says, "Well, this store _does _have a plentiful supply of what I'm looking for. All I need you to do is let me buy it." He finishes with a crooked smile, leaning even closer so that his breath fans out over my face with his exhale.

"And what's in it for me?" I inquire, fishing for an invite. I'm pretty sure that Jared knows I'm into him. I'm pretty sure that _everyone _knows that I'm into Jared. And that doesn't bother me – I mean, why would it? The kid is _fine_ – even more so now. I'd love the chance to spend some time with him.

We'd actually be _so _good together. If he would just give me the chance to show him . . .

"You can add it to your list of selfless acts," he answers cheekily.

So, no invite.

Whatever.

I wave my hand in the air, "Go ahead."

Rejection sucks.

I stare at his ass as he walks towards the coolers, his friend a few steps ahead of him, only looking away when my phone vibrates. I pick it up and read the message.

_So . . . your house tonight. You get the food, I'll bring the bitches._

_See ya, babes! 3_

_~ Pipa_

I roll my eyes at my friends boldness, quickly typing a response and putting the phone down just as several cases of beer are set down on the counter. "How did you carry all this over at once?" I ask, incredulous, but then I realize that I don't really care. "How many?" I don't feel like counting all this shit, and I don't think he'd lie to me. I mean, we _are _friends.

Even if I'm not invited to his party.

"Twelve total," Jared says, pulling out his wallet as I hop off the seat and work the cash register.

"Ok," I ring it up. "So . . . license, or some other form of identification," I hold out my hand expectantly.

He raises an eyebrow at me before shooting his friend a nervous look, suddenly not so flirty and cocky.

I giggle. "I'm just fucking with you. That'll be three-hundred and eight dollars and sixteen cents." He hands me the money, and I stop myself from asking how he has so much money on hand. Either he's into some illegal business, which might explain his rapid growth – steroids, perhaps? – or he collected money from everyone that'll be going to the bonfire ahead of time.

So that he _wouldn't_ have to pay for all the shit. Which is the smart way to go, and probably what he did.

"And if you get busted by the cops," I say, giving him a pointed stare as I crumpled up his receipt, "you didn't get the shit from here."

He nods, assuring me that he won't snitch. "Thanks, Kim. You're the best."

I roll my eyes. "Now get out of my store," I demand, making a shooing motion with my hands, not wanting him to go at all.

I could stare at him all day.

Him and his friend chuckle at my antics – probably seeing straight through me – and waddle to the door with their beer. When they disappear from my sight again, I pick my phone up, ready to tell Pipa about Jared's new look.

"Oh, and Kim?"

I drop my phone, my hand flying to my chest.

"Oh – sorry," Jared says, chuckling at my expression. "I didn't mean to scare you."

I clear my throat. "It's fine." It's totally not fine. My phone better not be fucking broken. "Did you forget something?"

"No. Well, kinda. I just wanted to invite you to the bonfire," he said, and my lips pulled into a smile. "You can bring whoever you want, too."

"Thanks," I say, sincerely happy that I _did_ get my invite, even though I can no longer go since my friends invited themselves to my house tonight. "But I already have plans tonight." With my girls. "You have fun, though."

"Alright," he shrugs, heading back towards the front door. "I'll see you later, Kim. Thanks again!"

* * *

"Damn," I sigh, keeping my eyes locked on the man running with the ball in his hands. "He's even better looking now than he was when I saw him a few weeks ago in my father's store."

Pipa whistles, pulling her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose as if it would help her get a better look at him. "Girls, that right there is puberty done _oh so right_." They giggle and I sigh again. "I can't believe that you didn't tell us he invited us to his bonfire until _the day after_," Pipa whines then, plopping back down on her towel, putting her sunglasses back on the correct way.

"We totally wouldn't have minded going," Maia murmurs, before looking back down at the open book in her hands. "We would have had fun and you could have hit him up _all night_."

Ray sits up, resting her weight back on her hands in the sand. "I mean, you're apparently going to be _married_ someday," she says teasingly. "We might as well get used to spending time as the third, fourth and fifth wheel to the _love_ that you two share."

I shoot her a dirty look before turning back to the football game taking place a little ways down the beach. "Paul seems to have gone through the same growth spurt that Jared did," I mutter. He's not quite as tall as Jared, but he's certainly as muscular as him. If not _more _muscular. Which I hadn't even realized was possible for a sixteen year old boy. But Paul doesn't carry it quite as well as Jared does, looking more stocky, his body seeming to be crowded by rippling muscles.

He doesn't look bad.

But he doesn't even come close to measuring up.

"Can you please explain to me, again," Pipa gives me a pointed look, and Ray giggles, "how you're so sure that you're destined to be Mrs. Jared Cameron?"

I roll my eyes, turning around to face her and crossing my legs pretzel style to be more comfortable. I play with the sand near my feet while I respond. "I just _know,_" I murmer, "I've _always_ known." I look up from the sun that I drew in the sand to lock eyes with Maia, who was now also listening intently. "I know who he is. I know what he stands for. I know that he wants to take over his father's construction business when he's older. And I know that he doesn't see me as anything more than a friend right now," my eyes shift back to his running form, and a small smile takes over my face. "But that's just right now. He's still young – he's not looking for his one right now."

"You shouldn't be, either," Pipa pipes in, cutting off my next sentence.

Maia shushes her before turning back to me, her eyes expectant. "You were saying?"

"But when _he is_," I continue as if I hadn't been interrupted, "it's going to be me. And I don't mind waiting until then."

"You're _such_ a hopeless romantic," Ray teases me, nudging my knee with her toes. Maia and Pipa agree with her, Maia with adoration in her tone and Pipa a little more mocking.

Just as I'm about to respond, a large shadow overtakes me, blocking out the sun that I'd felt at my back and causing me to turn around to see what had caused it. I'm pleasantly surprised to find Jared standing before me in all his sweaty glory. "Oh, hey Jared. What's up?"

"Just playing some ball with the boys," he answers. "Would you wanna come join us? We could use a few more players."

My answering smile almost breaks my face. "I would love to," I say, ignoring when Pipa coughs the word '_you'_ as I say '_to_'. "We'll be right over."

"Cool," he gives me a wide smile before jogging back to his group of friends.

"I hate you," I say to Pipa, my tone conversational.

The girls laugh.

As we're gathering up our belongings, Ray says, "You know, he clearly _likes _you."

"I know."

"Yeah," Pipa agrees. "I know I tease you about crushing on him and whatever, but I really do see how you guys could work. I can hardly believe that you guys aren't together."

"Yet," Maia adds in. "We can hardly believe that you guys aren't together _yet_."

* * *

"I guess the rumors are true," Ray mumbles, popping a pretzel in her mouth. "They really did start their own little gang."

I frown, watching as Jared and Paul work together to push Embry off of the cliff, sending him down to the water in a flawless dive. They both jump in after him, not as gracefully, but with more force. They hit the water with a _crack_ that I can hear from my place at the beach, easily half a mile away. The water explodes around their massive bodies, and they pop up in the water shortly after they go under, splashing each other as they do.

Jared looks even _more _different than he did the last time I saw him – during the football game over a month ago. He has to be at least six foot five, probably two-hundred and fifty pounds of sheer _muscle_. He cropped his hair short, shorter than he used to keep it, which was already pretty short in comparison to other boys on the reservation.

And he looks _really_ _good._

"So what does this mean for your guys' future?" She asks with her mouth full.

I crinkle my nose in disgust as I catch sight of the chewed up, soggy pretzel in her mouth. "Ray, just because he's made himself a steady group of friends doesn't mean that he's participating in illegal activity," I explain, rolling my eyes at her dramatic nature. "You, Maia, Pipa and I hang out, just us, _all the time_, and we're not doing anything bad."

"They just pushed Embry off _the highest cliff_. _Nobody_ jumps from that high up, Kim. Nobody," is her response.

As if she actually knows what she's talking about.

This time, my eyes roll of their own accord. "Well, apparently all three of them are named _'Nobody', _because all they of them just did that in a _clearly _recreational fashion."

She's quiet for a full minute before she speaks again. "You're blind to your man's flaws."

"I'm not blind to anything," I disagree. "I recognize mal-intent when I see it, and that's not what that was. That's not something that Jared is even _capable _of."

"_Oh,_" she says in a voice that is supposed to be imitating my own. She doesn't even come close. "_Dearest, noble Jared, he could never even crush the smallest of ants on the sidewalk . . ._"

"The only thing amusing about that sentence was how horribly you _failed _at imitating me. And that was only _barely _funny," I inform her, ignoring the glare that she gives me, instead watching as the boys swim back to shore.

* * *

"I can't believe summer is already over," Maia sighs, her head rolling off the end of my bed, her long, dark hair sprawling out over the floor. "It feels like it just started!"

"It's always that way," I say, and Maia and Ray nod in agreement. If I'm being honest . . . Part of me is actually happy to be going back to school. While I do love lounging on the beach and at my pool all day, and while I like that I was able to save up some cash this summer from the few days that I worked at my father's store . . . I like being near Jared. I like having excuses to talk to him.

And those are two things – two important things – that summer doesn't have to offer, that school guarantees.

Biting my fingernail, I glance over to where Pipa sits with her long legs pulled up, her chin resting on her knees as her thumbs type away on her iPhone. Her and Kane actually ended up making it official about a week ago, and now, whenever she's not with him – which isn't very often – she's talking to him either online or through the phone.

It's partially annoying, but so fucking adorable that I can't bring myself to really be angry about it.

That doesn't stop me from teasing her though. "Oh Miss. Pipaluk," I call her, using her full name. Her eyes snap up off her phone, a wide, flirty smile on her face. I don't even want to know what they're talking about. "How's it going with Mr. Kaneon – whatever the hell his name is."

"Kaneonuskatew," she answers, her tone dreamy.

Ray snickers. "Imagine screaming _that_ name out during an orgasm."

"Wouldn't be very easy to do . . ." Maia answers, giving her a playful look. ". . . Unlike you."

I nod my head in agreement. "She's right, Ray," I say.

Ray is our group's resident hoe – a term that is more of an endearment than an insult. But she is the most experienced out of the four of us.

Especially _me_, having only been kissed once in my life. And I'm talking about a quick peck on the lips.

"Fuck you guys," is her response. She waves her middle finger in the air from her spot on the floor where she sits with her laptop on her thighs. She's probably on tumblr. _Or facebook_, I correct myself when she speaks again. "Hey, check out this pick that Nina put up from the party last night," she murmurs, turning the computer around on her lap so that we can all see the screen.

The picture is of Ray, Maia, Nahuel – a guy that Ray has been hanging out with more recently – Nina, and Jared, who has his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and is giving a cheesy smile to whoever is taking the picture.

I couldn't go to the party last night because I got stuck third-wheeling it with Pipa and Kane at the movies last night. They're so sweet together it's almost sickening. And now, seeing the picture, I'm really wishing that I would have just chosen to go to the party. I should have known that Jared would be there.

I should have been there so that it'd be _me_ that he had his arm around in the picture. Or so that I at least had a _chance _of being in Nina's place.

"You might just wanna move on now, Kimmy," Ray says, closing the laptop and putting it to her side before sending a smirk in my direction. "You know, Tag was asking about you all night."

I groan. As if _that _would make me feel better right now.

I'm not stupid. I _know _I'm a good looking girl. I mean, I'm five foot seven with long legs and a slim waist. My mother gifted me with her rather voluptuous curves – meaning my rump is on the larger side of average and my breasts are on the larger side of _bimbo-worthy_. There are various guys that have tried to hook up with me over the years.

But I don't want them.

I want _him._

"I know, I know," she puts her hands up in surrender, "you only want him. I just thought that I should let you know that you have yet another admirer. And not a bad one, either."

Rowtag – or Tag, as everyone calls him, is actually a pretty decent guy. He does well in school. He's a good friend, and really just nice to people in general. He's pretty flirty, but that's not really a problem – he tones it down whenever he zones in on one girl. He and his now ex-girlfriend Moe dated for five months before he broke it off because she was sleeping with her boss – which is ew, by the way.

But he's still not for me. "Well," I shrug, "I'll keep it in mind, I guess."

Pipa makes an indescribable noise. "What would hubby Jared think about you keeping _other boys in mind_, though, Kimmy?" I roll my eyes at her, picking a book up off of the floor and chucking it at her.

My room is a mess.

I should probably clean in.

"Awe – is this your _diary_?" She coos adoringly, flipping through the pages of my personal life.

"I have one, too," Maia says, catching my attention. "From Mr. Muscow's English course, right?" I nod in answer and she continues, "Yeah, he has everyone start one up and keep it throughout the year. He didn't read it or anything, but he said that it was a good way to practice writing. I threw mine out at the end of the year, though." She waves her hand in the air uncaringly, "Ain't nobody got time for that."

"Did you write about Jared at all?" Ray asks teasingly, although I'm not embarrassed in the slightest.

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"

"How cute – you even signed your name at the bottom of each page," Pipa coos, tracing her fingers over the paper. "Sincerely, Kim Connweller." Her eyes flicker over to me, "Seeing as you and Jared will be married sooner than later, I think that it would make more sense for you to sign your name as 'Kim Cameron', don't you think?"

My eyes roll.

She picks up a pen and starts writing in the journal – probably 'correcting' all the places that I'd written my name.

I let her have her fun, instead turning to Maia and Ray. "I say that we make a pact for this year," Ray announces, popping up off the floor to grab something out of her bag. A Cosmo magazine. "All hands on the paper," she demands, standing in the middle of the room.

"We're swearing over a _fashion _magazine," I ask sarcastically as I walk over to her.

"Hush," she orders, before place one hand on the magazine and closing her eyes.

Maia, Pipa and I all do the same.

"This year . . . We're gonna do it up, girls. We're gonna go to every party – keep our grades up. We're gonna get Maia to loosen her grip on her virginity" – we all laugh when Maia slaps her arm – "and we're gonna work hard to get Jared to recognize his destiny as Kim's betrothed."

Now _I_ slap the bitch.

"And we're gonna work to get Pipa to stop being such a pussy every time Kane comes around," she continues.

"And we're gonna work to make Ray stop being such a slut." Pipa finishes.

"Agreed," we all say at the same time, laughing and falling back on the floor as Ray gives us all dirty looks.

I can just feel it.

This year is going to be **big**.

* * *

_. . . I just wanted you to know, that baby you're the best . . ._

_. . . think I'll miss you forever, like the stars miss the sun in the morning sky . . ._

_. . . later's better than never . . ._

_. . . summertime sadness . . ._

* * *

_**A/N: **__So there's the first chapter._

_If you're curious as to what my original characters – and Kim – look like, I can tell you which actors I visualized as playing their parts when writing this._

_Kim = Caitlin Mooney-Fu (who I actually find to be rather pretty, though Stephenie Meyer clearly didn't intend for the character to be)_

_Pipa = Jessica Szhor_

_Ray = Shay Mitchell_

_Maia = Odette Yustman_

_Kane = Steven Strait (how he looked in The Covenant)_

_Tag = Tyler Posey_

_Jared is still represented by Bronson, but just imagine him taller and more muscular. And, of course, imagine that he actually can transform into a wolf. Lol!_

_In case any of you were confused about if he's imprinted on Kim yet, I'll let you know that he hasn't actually seen her since his transformation. The times that she did see him was right before – and since Jacob beefed up before his transformation in the book, I decided it would make sense for that to happen to Jared as well._

_By the way, this story is a replacement for the first Jared / Kim story I wrote._

_As always, let me know what you think!_

* * *

_**~ Madison ~**_


	2. Smells Like Teen Spirit

**Kismet**

_Chapter Two :: **Smell****s Like Teen Spirit**__**  
**_

* * *

_**A/N: **Here's chapter two!  
_

_I just want to start this by saying that imprinting** will** be in my story, but I didn't want to write the typical, "he looks like he's in love with me," spiel, and I didn't want to make him suddenly start acting as if he were a couple like he does in nearly every other portrayal of their relationship. _

_But don't you worry! We'll get there!_

_Also, I feel that I should express my opinion on Stephenie Meyer's portrayal of the members of the tribe. I think that she did an absolutely horrible job of it, so I am going to try to remedy that. While I do realize that the teenagers of the Native American tribe are going to be more modernized than tradition, I do feel that some of their traditional values would stick with them. That being said, seeing as I'm not a Quileute member myself and I don't live close enough to learn their ways from their own mouths, I only have the internet to go off of. And since I've made Kim's father traditional, I feel that it is only logical that she would have a traditional Native American name, so in this story, her full name is actually Kimi._

_So that will have to do. I don't think that many of these values are portrayed in this chapter, but they will eventually come up._

_Until then . . . Read on!_

* * *

Everyone's eyes are on Ray's Jeep Wrangler as we pull up to the school on the first day. It's literally the only mainstream car brand in the entire parking lot, but then most people on the reservation bring pennies home, where Ray's family brings in much more, seeing as they have jobs off of the reservation.

Ray has a lot of things that most people on the reservation aren't financially stable enough to buy. Like a laptop, an iPhone, a nice car, a radio, a _two-story home_, etc. Pipa's family doesn't do badly, either, but they don't bring in quite as much as Ray's family does.

I'm just lucky that I was able to get a cell phone – it was my birthday present for this past year _and _every year and celebration afterwards, seeing as my parents have to pay for it regularly. Maia doesn't even have one. Whenever we want to get in touch with her, we have to call her home phone or just show up at her house.

"Alright bitches," Ray smirks, pushing her car door open forcefully. "Get outta my car. We've got a new school year to start."

* * *

After meeting up with Kane in the hallway and finding out that him, Ray and I all have first period together, we head off to class. When we walk into American History, I'm pleasantly surprised to find that Jared is sitting towards the back of the class, in the corner.

I nudge Ray with my elbow and subtly nod my head in his direction as Kane chatters on about how this year the football team is going to be kick-ass with him as captain. I like Kane, I think he's really good for Pipa, but I don't find him to be particularly interesting. Football is fun – at least playing it with friends – but I don't want to hear about it every day for this entire school year.

"Let's go sit in the back, Kane," Ray says when she notices him heading over to his football buddies on the other side of the class. He looks torn for a minute, but ultimately decides to sit with us.

Probably because he thinks that Pipa would be mad at him for choosing his friends over us. And maybe she would – I don't really know. That girl is entirely unpredictable. The only thing I know for sure that she's going to do every day is breathe.

Ray drops her empty bag ungracefully onto the floor and plops herself down in the seat next to the empty one on Jared's left.

I take that one.

As I situate myself in the seat – pulling a pencil out of my bag and placing it on the desk – I examine him from the corner of my eye.

His chin rests on his left hand as he types away on his phone, so engorged in it that he doesn't seem to notice anything around him at all. From his side profile, I can see that there are dark circles beneath his eyes, and he puts no effort into raising the corners of his lips.

I shouldn't be surprised – seeing as he's looked startlingly different every time that I saw him this past summer – but he looks even longer, even more muscular, and even older than he did when I saw him last. And with the way his features are set right now he looks . . . Sad? Or maybe he's just tired. Either way, he's just as beautiful as always and I have to put serious effort into stopping myself from reaching for his arm and asking him if he's okay.

When I finally feel that I've had a good enough look at him for now, at least, I turn in my seat so that I'm facing him completely. "Hey, Jared," I call his attention, and his head snaps up immediately, clearly not expecting to be bothered. "How was your summer?" I ask friendlily.

His expression confuses me – almost as much as he appears to be confused, and then it transforms into something breathtaking, his mouth opening slightly and an exhale softening his form.

Then the awkwardness of the situation seems to dawn upon him and his face clears. So does his throat. He pockets his phone before he respond in perhaps the deepest voice I've ever heard, his words literally making me feel as if my bones are vibrating. In a good way. "Uhm, mine was good. And yours?"

He turns in his seat, matching my form perfectly as he leans towards me in obvious interest.

He's acting . . . Strange. Strange for him, at least. "It was great," I answer, trying not to sound too confused. "I'm kind of happy to be back in school, though," I admit. "After a while . . . It gets increasingly difficult to figure out what to do with the day."

Jared chuckles, his eyes widening as if he couldn't relate to what I was saying. "I wish I could say the same – there weren't nearly enough hours in a day for me. I feel like all I did was run."

"Oh!" I say, an understanding dawning on me, my outburst changing his expression yet again. "So are you getting into body building, or something?" I gesture towards his large frame.

"Nah. Just a growth spurt."

Okay then. I'm pretty sure that they don't work that way, though.

"I meant running as in working. Like, I didn't have a lot of time to myself. It's okay, though," he shrugs. "It's better for everyone else that way."

"Where did you work?" I ask, interested. I hadn't realized that he'd had a job. How long had he had it? Was it at a place that it would make sense for me to stop by?

I internally laugh at myself at that thought.

He looks nervous, though. And then relieved when the teacher calls our attention. Jared turns straight in his desk and gives his eyes to the teacher long before I do.

And _when_ I do, a crumpled up piece of paper lands in the middle of my desk.

And when I start to _open_ it, the teacher plucks it right out of my hands.

"Ah, the first lesson that I'll teach you this year," he says in a tone that sends my face into my hands, "is what happens to people that don't wish to pay attention in my class. Now, let's see what Ray has to say to our good friend Kimi." He looks down at the paper through his glasses.

Oh no.

What would she have said?

"Ah, I see," he says, nodding his head and crumpling the note up, sending it through the air and into the trash. "It seems that our little Kimi has desperation issues when it comes to _her ma__n_."

The class erupts into laughter. Myself included.

But the man on my right is excluded.

When I turn to send him a cheesy smile, he's not looking at me. He looking down at his desk. And not just that – he's _frowning_.

My eyebrows furrow in his direction, but he never sees them.

Class eventually flows in the way it usually does, and Jared eventually gives me at least a half-assed smile, but it doesn't settle my stomach.

Is he _that_ against dating me that he doesn't even like the idea of him being referred to as 'my man' in a note? Or is he actually somewhat partial to the idea, and took it the wrong way – thinking that I'm seeing someone else?

I don't know, but I hope I figure it out soon.

* * *

"You should have _seen _it!" Ray snickers, one hand on her stomach as she recovers from her previous fit of laughter. Pipa gives me a purposeful look before her eyes slide back to Ray as she continues, "He kept his eyes on her, like, the entire class."

Maia smiles. "I guess he's finally realized what was right in front of him all along," she remarks with raised eyebrows in my direction. She pops a crispy, ketchup-covered fry in her mouth. "So are you going to ask him out?"

I roll my eyes. "You guys are ridiculous. People look at me all the time and I don't _ask them out. _Besides, him looking at me doesn't really mean anything." Ray has always been over dramatic . . . Meaning that she's prone exaggeration. I had noticed a few times during American History that Jared was watching me, but that doesn't mean that he was watching me the whole period. And, really, if he was watching me the way that I often watched him, he would have looked away, probably blushing when I caught him staring. But he didn't, he just smiled when he was caught and then shifted his gaze to the teacher.

Until I would catch him again.

Maybe I just look different. He certainly does.

"Whatever, Kim," Pipa says, "you're completely clueless, though." I give her an offended glare. "What do you think, Kane?"

Her question surprises him, and it becomes clear that he was more or less completely ignoring our conversation.

"Do you think that Jared likes Kim?" She restates the question.

Waiting until he swallows the last of the sandwich in his mouth, he answers, saying, "Of course he does. They've been friends since forever."

"No," Pipa shakes her head, "I mean like, do you think that he has a crush on her."

"Oh." He shrugs. "I don't know him well enough to tell you. Sorry."

I wave my hand dismissively, assuring him that it's fine. "I'm really not worrying about it. Ugh," I say, remembering last night. "My dad was _so_ mad at me last night," I tell them, pushing my tray away from me as possible on the small, crowded table.

_"Why?" _Maiaasks.

"He _overheard,_" I do air-quotes around the word, insinuating that he was being sneaky, "us talking about the picture that Nina put up of you guys from the party online, and he was none too pleased about it."

Pipa leans forward in her seat, Kane's around securely around her shoulders. "Your parents know that we go to parties, though. I mean, not that I understand why, but you tell them literally everything, and they don't stop you from going."

"Yeah," Ray agrees, "and even so . . . You didn't go to the party . . . How could he be mad at you about Maia and I partying?" She finishes with a raised eyebrow.

I shake my head, "He's not mad about the partying bit of the conversation. He doesn't like the idea of using the internet."

"But you hardly go online," Maia reasons.

"I told him that - and I told him that I don't have a Facebook or Myspace or whatever account, too, but he just wasn't listening to me. He went on and on about how he doesn't understand our generation, and how he thinks that I should attend more of the tribe meetings." Honestly, I don't mind going to the meeting - I think it's kind of cool to learn about our ancestors, but the fact that my father want s to _force_ me to attend them makes me bitter. I don't like being forced to do things. "He says that I need to be more in touch with my ancestors."_  
_

"You're _way_more in touch with the ancestors of the tribe than I am," Pipa says. "You pray to them all the time, and you actually know some of their names, and why they're important."

Maia nods, "Your dad is being totally unreasonable. He is from a different time, so obviously he's not going to understand all of the things we're into as teenagers now, but he can't just discredit everything else you do because _you looked a__t a picture on Facebook._"

"I tried to explain that to him," I shrug. "He doesn't listen, though."_  
_

"Well," Ray smirks, "at least we know where your stubbornness comes from."

I throw one of Pipa's fries at her.

* * *

By the time gym class rolls around, Ray is just about ready to blow a casket. _All day_ we've heard that Naira - a girl that we're friendly with, though I wouldn't personally consider her as an actual friend - is throwing a 'beginning of the school year' party. And Ray can't stand the thought of missing out on a party. Especially not one thrown by a notorious party-thrower like Naira.

She's looks like she's about ready to run across the field, drop to her knees and beg her for an invite in the middle of the football game when Naira finally catches sight of us and starts walking over.

I can literally _feel_ Ray's shoulders relax more and more with every step she takes.

She is so dorky.

"Hey girlies!" Naira greets us with a pretty smile. "Do you guys have any plans tonight?"

Smirking, I say, "I don't but Ray does, why?"

"Oh, that's too bad," Naira frowns at Ray and then starts smiling at me again, and I'm positive that Ray is wishing death on me at the moment. "Well, I'm having a party tonight - you know, something fun to kick off the year. Feel free to stop by! Maia and Pipa can come, too."

"We'll be there," I answer for my friends.

Ray jumps in, literally pushing me to the side as she says, "And I'm sure that I can get out of that thing that I was gonna do. I'll definitely be there!"

"Cool," she says, smiling again just as pleasantly as she had before. Then, seeming to see someone out of the corner of her eye, she turns abruptly. "Oh! Paul! Jared! Come here!" She calls them over, and I realize for the first time that Jared is in my gym class.

How had I missed that?

I watch as they jog towards us, effectively shutting the game down for a minute since the ball is in Paul's hand. Jared's gaze connects with mine and a smile spreads out over his face. He doesn't seem as tired as before, and he definitely seems to be in better spirits. "Hey," he murmurs, his eyes on me even though Naira is the one who had called him over. "What's up?"

"I'm having a get together tonight. I wanted to know if you guys would wanna come?" Naira really turns on the charm for their invite. Mine was nice, but jeez. She gives them theirs with wide brown eyes and a shy, flirty smile. Naira is really, really pretty, I realize then. She has a slender figure, with long, flowing black hair and long eye lashes. Her eyebrows are arched perfectly, and her lips are pouty.

So I'm confused when it doesn't appear to have even the slightest effect on Jared - unlike it does on Paul. While Paul eagerly accepts the invite, promising to come, Jared turns back to me and asks if I'm going. When I tell him that I am, he tells me that he'll be there. "Save me a dance, alright?" He says flirtily before the gym teacher calls the class back to attention.

He gives me a wink before he runs off, and Ray and I follow in the same direction at a much slower pace, with Paul and Naira lingering behind us talking among themselves. "He's definitely into you," Ray confirms. "With the staring, and how he just acted? No doubt he wants some Kimi."

I shove her away from me, wrinkling my nose. "Must you be so crude?"

"Must you be so prude?" She retorts, and then the teacher yells at us to move faster so we pick up our pace to a slow jog.

* * *

For the first time in my life, I'm using the makeup kit that Ray got me for my birthday two years ago. And not even at Ray or Pipa's insistence.

It's not going so well. "Ow!" I exclaim, clutching my face as I _once again_stab myself in the eye with the eyeliner._  
_

How do people _do_ this?

I can't believe that there are people who go through this _everyday_! I mean, really - this is dangerous. I have heard that beauty is pain before, but this is just ridiculous. I could go blind for this bullshit!_  
_

And for what? To look minutely prettier than I do every other day?

I turn to look at myself in the mirror. Black stuff is all over my face.

I can't even.

Forget this.

I stalk off to the bathroom to wash my face off.

Jared obviously likes me now, and I've never worn makeup before, so why would I start now? This is who I am. There's no reason to try and taint that.

* * *

"You havin' fun?" Pipa calls over the deafeningly loud music, her hips swaying beneath Kane's grabby hands. She doesn't even give me the chance to answer, saying, "I don't see Jared anywhere. Do you know where he is?"

How the fuck would I know where he is?

I don't even bother vocalizing my answer, instead just shrugging my shoulders and telling her that I'm going to go get a drink. Which I don't actually end up doing, because the punch is spiked and I don't drink. But I do see Paul by the drink table, standing with some Sophomore girl, and I go over to him. "Hey, Paul!" I try to get his attention.

Lazy eyes meet mine.

He is beyond wasted. But I would like some answers. "Where's your boy?" I ask.

"Who?"

He is beyond _beyond wasted_. That's how bad it is. Obviously I'm talking about "Jared," I clarify, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at his drunken stupidity._  
_

Clarity reaches him, and then his eyes dim as he looks me up and down suspiciously. "He got held up."

How vague. I nod my head in acceptance, murmuring, "That's too bad," and head back over towards Pipa.

I end up walking right into someone. "Oops, sorry!" I say, and then I realize that it's Tag. "Oh, hey."

"Kimi!" He's obviously tipsy, but he's not nearly as sloppy as Paul, who is now licking the Sophomores neck like an actual dog would. "I was wondering when I would run into you. Dance we me?" He holds his open hand out towards me.

Seeing as Jared stood me up . . . "Why not?" I smile and take his hand, rocking my hips to the beat of the music and acting as if I don't have a care in the world. As if the only thing that matters is the music.

Inside, I'm not so carefree.

Jared _was_ very casual about the whole 'save me a dance' thing, but I can't help but feel as if he stood me up.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe things haven't changed.

* * *

_. . . load up on guns, bring your friends . . ._

_. . . it's fun to lose and to pretend . . ._

_. . . she's over bored and self assured . . ._

_. . . oh no, I know a dirty word . . ._

* * *

**_~ Madison ~_**


	3. Latch

**Kismet**

_Chapter Three :: **Latch**_

* * *

**_A/N:_ **_I know, I know. Long time coming. Senior year + part-time nursing school + part-time job = NO TIME WHATSOEVER FOR ANYTHING._

_I'm trying, though. I promise._

_Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Class has already started by the time Jared walks in, without a pass and looking beyond exhausted. He half-heartedly apologizes to the teacher, admitting that he slept in this morning, and assures him that it won't happen again. When he's excused, he walks over towards our corner of the room.

Ray nudges me when Jared gives me a small smile. "Are you gonna say something?" She asks, knowing that I'm upset that Jared never showed up to the party last night.

I look him over, sending him an even smaller smile back as he comes closer. "Yeah," I murmur, not looking at Ray, keeping my eyes on him. I don't really know that I should, though.

He looks like he's had a rough night. Maybe he has a good reason for not showing up. Maybe he's planning on apologizing for it.

"Hey, Kimi," he greets me, plopping down ungracefully into his seat. He rubs at his tired eyes, trying to wake himself up.

"Hi. How was your night?" I ask innocently, not wanting to reveal just yet that I'm upset.

He lets out a deep exhale. A frown pulls the corners of his lips down. "Okay," he says in a way that assures me it was everything but.

My lips mirror his. "Do you wanna talk about it?" I'm hopeful. Not only because I want him to tell me something that dispels the feeling of rejection that has sat in my stomach since the party last night, but also because I want to help him in some way. I'm not used to seeing him look so . . . Depressed, and worried. He's always so happy – it's part of the reason that I've liked him so much.

I want him to stay that way.

He deserves to be happy.

But he says "nah," waving his hand in the air. "I'd rather hear how your night was. Do anything fun?"

Seriously? He would bring it up? Maybe he really did just forget . . . "You missed out on a great party." My smile is genuine, because even though I'm sad he didn't show up, I still had a good time hanging out with my friends.

At first, he's confused. "What par –" then it dawns on him "- oh _shit_!" He whisper yells, glancing at the teacher to make sure our conversation has gone unnoticed. "I completely forgot. And I asked you to save me a dance!" He drops his head into his hands for a minute, takes a deep breath, and then his eyes flicker back to me. "I'm so sorry, Kimi. I swear I didn't mean it."

Now I wave my hand in the air, dismissing his apology and making an ugly 'it's totally okay' face at him. Complete with a double chin. "Don't worry about it. You're not the first person to forget about me," I tease him.

Evidently Jared doesn't realize I'm just kidding, because he turns his body in his seat so that every part of him is facing me, and reaches out to put his hand over mine on the desk. "No, I didn't forget about _you_, Kimi – please don't ever think that." His eyes are as sober as I've ever seen them, the dark amber irises warm and true.

I swallow, trying to clear my head of cliché thoughts. "Uhm," I clear my throat, but his hand never leaves mine. "Seriously, don't worry about it." I need to stop being so weird. I'm finally able to smile again, and I say, "I just gave your dance to Tag."

And then he's frowning again.

"Do you two need to be excused?" The teacher snaps, grabbing my attention as Jared pulls his arm back and turns to face the front in his seat.

I give him a guilty smile as a response, properly chastised for talking during his class.

"I'm sorry, sir," Jared murmurs, and I wonder if he remembers the teachers name, "that was actually my fault. I'll stop bothering her."

"You're both at fault for speaking during my class and ignoring your first academic lesson. And because of that, you'll both be joining me for detention after class today."

Ray tries to stifle her laugh.

"You can join your friend, Giggles."

I smirk as Ray lets out a loud groan.

_That's what bitches get._

* * *

"No," Ray says through a mouthful of food, "it actually was very cute. He's all like, '_I'd never forget you, baby,_' and then –"

I cut her off, "That is definitely _not_ what he said."

"Is, too!" She sticks her tongue out, which is totally disgusting because there's still food all over it. "Kane! Back me up, here." Kane gives her an odd look from his seat across the table, clearly not wanting to be a part of it. She doesn't settle for that. "Just tell everyone that I'm right."

"I would," he says. "But I don't eavesdrop on peoples conversations, so I don't actually know _what_ he said."

I give her a smug grin.

She glares at him. "Who asked you anyway?"

Pipa giggles, leaning her head against Kane's shoulder. "So what happened after that?"

"Well," Ray starts.

"I was actually asking Kim," Pipa states, rolling her eyes at our over-eager friend, who just so happens to be prone to exceptional exaggeration. "So, Kim? What happened?"

I shrug. "Nothing really. He basically just told me that he forgot about the party."

"And you're okay with that?" Pipa asks, eyebrows so high that they half-disappear behind her side bangs. Kane mumbles something under his breath then, probably something along the lines of '_you wouldn't be,'_ earning himself a slap on the arm.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I answer her with a question.

Maia coughs, drawing my attention. "Incoming."

I turn to see Tag approaching the table, lunch tray in hand. "Hey! Mind if I sit with you guys?" He asks gesturing towards the space between Maia and I.

"Not at all," I answer, and Maia and I separate to make some room for him between us.

"That party, though," Ray smirks, starting a conversation that doesn't involve Jared, and one that we can all participate in.

"Thank the ancestors for Naira," Maia jokes.

Tag laughs. "Nobody can say that girl doesn't know how to throw a party. I'm pretty sure _everyone_ was there."

_Not everyone_. I prevent myself from frowning, and instead say, "I can't believe she got a DJ."

We continue to talk about last night, and I'm actually pulling out of my half-bitter mood when I notice Jared walk into the cafeteria. There's only about fifteen minutes of lunch left, so I'm glad to see that he has a brown bag in his hand. If he'd only just gotten in the lunch line, he'd barely have enough time to finish eating.

The lunch ladies move so slow it should be a crime.

I'm about to remark on Kane's dancing skills – or the lack thereof – when I realize that Jared is walking towards my table. And his eyes are focused on me.

I don't say anything until he makes it to the table.

"Kimi," is his greeting. Silence breaks out over the table. Jared's eyes flicker over to Tag for a moment before they shoot back to me. "I was wondering if you'd wanna sit with me today?"

Pipa clears her throat obnoxiously.

"Well," I swallow, "I told Tag I'd sit with him today." I don't really know _why_ I say that. I want nothing more than to be with Jared. But he forgot about me, and I know how that felt. And I know that Tag has a thing for me, and don't want him to feel like I'm blowing him off.

"I'm sure Tag won't mind," is all he says before nodding towards a table in the back and waiting for me to join him there.

* * *

This is really awkward. I'm not sure if I'm okay with the way he just acted in front of my friends, but I don't know if I should say something because he looks just as upset now as he had earlier this morning.

Jared isn't typically rude, and I would hope that there's a good reason for it.

"What's going on, Jared?" I ask quietly, softly, interrupting him from glaring at his lunch bag on the table. I want to understand him. I want to help him.

He grabs the back of his neck with his left hand and squeezes. It cracks.

He is crazy tense.

"Are you in pain?"

"I'm okay, Kimi," he murmurs, leaning back in his seat to look over me. "I just had a rough night is all. Everything is okay, though."

"What happened?" I try.

It seems like he contemplates for a minute whether or not he should tell me. Ultimately, he decides he should. "My friend and his girlfriend went for a hike in the woods yesterday, around the same time school let out."

A lot of kids go for hikes in the woods surrounding the reservation. "Okay, and . . ." I urge him to continue.

He sighs. "And they went off the trails – ran into a bear."

I gasp. "Oh no. They weren't . . ." I trail off, not wanting to say the words.

"They're alive," he assures me. "Sam didn't get hurt at all – it was his girlfriend that . . . She's been in Forks hospital since it happened, and probably won't be out for a while. Her face is . . ." He drags his fingers down the right side of his face, I assume imitating a bear paw, showing me what damage was done to the girl. "She's lucky she didn't lose an eye. Her mouth is real messed up, though. All the muscles on the right side of her face were pretty much destroyed. She can blink but that's about it."

"I'm so sorry, Jared." I don't know what else to say.

"Docs say she'll be okay, and it won't look as bad once the stitches come out. But it's gonna leave a nasty scar."

"I can't even imagine." And I really can't. "And Sam?" He really wasn't hurt at all? And how does he feel about what happened to his girlfriend?

"Feels horrible, of course. But we don't have to get into that – but that's really the reason why I didn't show up last night. With everything that happened . . . the party just slipped from my mind."

I dismiss that, "I totally understand, Jared. Seriously – don't worry about it at all."

"I would have called, or probably texted you to let you know, but I don't have your number." His frown tells me that this fact displeases him.

I reach into my backpack and rip a piece of paper out of one of my notebooks, and grab a pen. "Here," I say, writing down my number and then sliding it across the table to him.

He instantly pulls out his phone and programs it in. "Smile," he instructs, and takes a picture of me to set in my contact. "I'll send you a text now so that you have my number, too," he tells me. "And Kimi?"

I look at him expectantly.

"Use it whenever you want."

My phone dings just as the school bell does, ending our time together with the promise of speaking again soon.

* * *

"I hate him," Ray announces, talking about our gym teacher as he blows his whistle for us to do our warm up lap.

Knowing his ways from last year, we both know that the only reason he's allowing us to walk this warm up lap is because he plans to make us run the next eight. Mr. Rhai doesn't do 'the' mile. He does 'the' mile_s_. As in two.

And he times us.

And if you don't make it in twenty minutes, he makes you run _another _lap.

And there is nothing that Ray Thail hates more than running.

"And if he makes me run the extra lap I'm gonna –"

"You're gonna _what_?" I cut her off, rolling my eyes. Ray is all talk. All of her threats are empty.

She sends a glare my way. "I'm gonna hate him even more. And you, too, because you never wait for me."

"Listen," I say, "unlike you, I have no personal issue with running." I don't dare tell her that I _enjoy _physical activity. She might actually shoot me. Or at least, like, kick me in the shin or something. "But I like to get it done as quickly as possible. And that way I don't have to run another lap. If you would just run more than one lap, you'd make it in time and not have to do the extra lap every time."

"I don't want to talk to you," she says as we approach the end of our lap.

"Two miles today!" Mr. Rhai yells as loudly as he can so that every student knows. "Once you pass this yellow line, I wanna see each and every one of you running. And that includes you, Ms. Thail."

She hisses at him under her breath, but I can't actually hear what she says. And just as we reach the yellow line she snaps, "bye," to me, and I take off.

Breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, my long strides quickly take me past most of the other students, and in about six and a half minutes I'm finished my first mile. Adrenaline is racing through my veins, allowing me to keep up with the fastest kids in the class.

One of which being Jared.

When he notices me behind him, he falls back, leaving Paul to pick up his pace and speed past everyone else to finish his fifth lap in record time.

"You're pretty quick on your feet, Kimi," Jared comments, not too subtly trailing his eye from my feet to my face, and not sounding even slightly winded. "You think you're up to a little bit of a challenge?" He asks with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Like what?" I ask, _very_ winded.

"Maybe . . . A race?"

Just then we pass Ray then, who is walking, of course, and she screams, "You're a bitch!"

Jared's eyes go wide at the insult and I quickly assure him, "That was aimed at me."

"Why?"

"Because I don't walk with her."

He shrugs that off and says, "Well what do you say? You up for it?"

To answer his question, I push my legs as hard as I can and race past him.

I hear him laughing from behind me. The next two laps go easy and I'm still a little bit in front of him. But just as I'm reaching the line on our final lap, he blows past me.

And I lose.

Once I pass the line I get off the track, grasp my knees and try to catch my breath. "You cheated!" I complain once I'm able to speak.

"No way! That was totally fair!" Jared argues playfully.

"You made me think I was going to win so I didn't try as hard!"

He bellows out a laugh. "That's not my fault! I should have warned you before – you can't beat me, babe. I'm just too fast."

Internally thrilling at the pet name, I say, "I call a rematch."

He smirks. "Alright. I'm up for beating you _again_."

"Tonight then, Mr. Arrogant." I use a challenging voice to try and hide the fact that I'm more or less asking him to come over my house and hang out after school. "The street that my house is on is long and mostly carless. It's the perfect spot."

He's smiling and smirking until he's not.

And then I know he's caught on to me.

"I can't."

Completely put out, I breathe, "Oh."

"No, no, no, Kim," he steps towards me, reaching down as if to hold my hand and then decides against it. "I don't mean it like that. I have to go to the hospital after school today."

Well I feel like an insensitive asshole now. "I'm sorry, that was so – I can't believe I just did that. Of course you have to go to the hospital." I rub at my face, sweaty and ashamed.

"Don't feel bad. If it weren't for that – believe me I would. Maybe I could get a rain check?"

"Yeah," I murmur, still feeling pretty horrible, "of course."

* * *

Ray, Pipa and Maia show up, completely uninvited, around four o'clock that night, dressed in their swim suits and holding too many bags of junk food in their hands.

"The water is _freezing_," Pipa complains, wrapping her arms around her chest and gripping her shoulders in a warmth inducing self-hug.

"Well," Maia draws sarcastically, "it only rained _all day_."

"I think that we should talk about Jared." That's Ray's brilliant and totally predictable idea.

"Of course you do," I mutter.

Maia frowns. "It's completely unfair that all the exciting stuff happens when you and Kim are alone."

"I thought it was pretty exciting when you shoved Pipa face-first into the bush outside the Clearwater's store last winter," I snicker, and even Pipa laughs.

"I also found it quite hilarious when you two charged at each other from opposite sides of my basement and ended up flying back onto your asses," Ray adds.

"Let me rephrase," Maia rolls her eyes, "all the exciting _Jared_ stuff happens when you two are alone."

Now I'm grimacing. "Can we not do this again?" I groan. "All we do these days is talk about Jared and Kane, on the off chance that he's not around. I miss the days when we didn't only talk about boys."

There's an awkward silence that follow my rant.

As per usual, Ray breaks it. "I'm pretty sure Mom is cheating on Dad."

Pipa, Maia and I all have the same exact reaction. "What?"

"Yeah," she sighs. "She hasn't been coming home 'till like, three in the morning every day. I always wake up when she pulls in 'cause the headlights flash in my room."

"I'm so sorry, Ray," Maia murmurs.

"That really sucks," Pipa remarks.

"How do you know that she's seeing someone, though?" I ask, always hoping that there's a better answer. Just because she comes home late doesn't mean she's sleeping with someone else.

"Whenever her phone rings now, she jumps to grab it so that nobody else does. And a lot of times she'll take the call into another room or outside so that nobody can hear her."

That's definitely suspicious.

"I think Dad is starting to catch onto it, too, and is thinking the same thing."

We all fall silent then, none of us really knowing what to say.

I can't imagine my parents not being together. As much as my dad gets on my nerves sometimes . . . He and my mom are a team, and a good one, too. They belong with one another.

And I'll bet Ray had felt the same way about her parents before all of this went down.

* * *

The girls leave after eating with my family, and I'm ready for bed by ten o'clock, just like I always am. And, just like always, I start thinking about Jared.

Tonight is different, though, because instead of turning to my diary, I turn to my phone.

I have his phone number know. I don't have to write what I wish I could say to him, or what I'm wondering in that moment. I can go straight to the source.

Flipping my outdated phone open, I scroll towards Jared's new contact in my phone, and quickly type out a message: _hey. hope your friend is doing okay._

At some point while I'm waiting for Jared to text me back, I end up falling asleep.

_Ding ding!_

I rub my eyes, blinking them open at the sudden noise. Squinting at the clock across the room I see that it's not time for me to get up for school yet, so it's not my alarm.

The sound comes again and it dawns on me that it's my phone that made the noise and the small screen is flashing, _2 new messages._

I practically fall out of bed, scrambling to get to my phone that'd fallen on the floor at some point during the night. Flipping it open with my thumb, I read the messages in the order that I'd received them.

They're from Jared.

_she's getting better. _

_have sweet dreams Kimi._

Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and I have to put serious effort into keeping myself from squealing like some pathetic loser.

But I'm past caring, so I instead keep my focus on being quiet while I do.

I climb back on the bed, phone in hand, ready to fall asleep when my phone dings again.

It's from Jared.

_of me._

It takes me a minute to connect the texts, to understand the meaning, but when I do?

I'm squealing again.

* * *

_. . . lift my heart up when the rest of me is down . . ._

_. . . you, you enchant me even when you're not around . . ._

_ . . . if there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down . . ._

* * *

**_A/N: _**_As always, I hope to hear your thoughts!_

* * *

**_~ Madison ~_**


End file.
